St. Jerome School
790 Paisley Blvd W.
Mississauga, Ontario
L5C 3P5
Tel (905) 273 3836 Fax (905) 273 9539
Newsletter
May
2013
Mississauga South
Family of Schools
Trustee:
B. Iannicca
Beatitudes for Mothers
Blessed are mothers… who did without for us, they will be rewarded.
Blessed are mothers… who lost sleep when we were sick, they will find rest.
905 270 0536
Superintendent:
C. Saytar
Blessed are mothers… who taught us how to pray, they will share God’s Kingdom.
Blessed are mothers… who comforted us, they shall be comforted.
Principal:
Blessed are mothers… who taught us right from wrong, they will know justice.
A. Aquino
Blessed are mothers… who shared with us the meaning of peace,
they shall know peace.
H. Secretary:
Blessed are mothers… who taught us the importance of loving, they shall be loved.
C. Bowering
Parish Priest:
Fr. Joyson Pottackal
St. Martin of Tours
905 279 5742
Virtue of the Month:
Acceptance
The virtue of acceptance means we accept ourselves and others just the way we are. God created all of us in His image, and God does not make mistakes. Being a part of God’s family means
that we love and welcome everyone just the way Jesus did. Jesus wants us to accept everyone
even when it is hard.
People of Acceptance:
Are Friendly And Open To All God’s People
Sense God’s Presence In People Of All Ages, Beliefs, Genders, Cultures, And/Or Abilities
Avoid The Temptation To Judge Or Negatively Stereotype Others
Look For Positive Traits In Others
Understand That There May Be More Than One Way Of Doing Things
Stick Up For The Disadvantaged
Notice Who Is Left Out And Include Them
Catholic School
Council Chair:
M. Fleese
Web-site:
www.dpcdsb.org/jerom
Faith Life
Crowning of Mary
On May 3, 2013 we will be celebrating the Crowning of Mary
and saying the rosary as a school community. The celebration
will be at 1:30 p.m. Please feel free to join us for this beautiful
ceremony.
Around the School
Indoor Shoes/Change of Clothes
Please ensure that your child comes to school prepared to go outside
for recess and lunch hour breaks. It is the expectation that each child
comes dressed appropriately to go outside to enjoy the weather and
get some fresh air and exercise. If your child is prone to getting wet
during recess, please send a change of clothes, especially socks and
sweat pants. Please ensure that your child brings a pair of indoor shoes
to school. Please label the shoes for our primary students. Running
shoes are preferred because they are safe and can also be used for gym.
Please ensure that the shoes have non-marking soles. We appreciate
your continued support!
Safety In The Gym
Students are reminded that they must wear proper indoor shoes for
gym and appropriate gym clothes. Jewelry must be removed when in
gym class or during sports activities. Students are not allowed to wear
their “outside” shoes in the gym.
Catholic Education Week May 5-10
Growing Together In Faith
Catholic schools are Catholic communities. Catholic schools
are faith communities. We – parents, students, teachers, administrative and support staff – walk and grow together in the
faith which we received at our Baptism. And it is the ‘together’
that we grow. And as we learn from nature, growth relies on
sun and water and nutrition. Otherwise, it may fade away and
even die. Our growth is primarily a relationship with God, who
at our Baptism, called us by name. But the response of each of
us to that growth is both personal and communal. We grow in
our faith in the nurturing atmosphere of our Catholic community be that of our local parish, our home, or our Catholic
school community. Our school community will celebrate
Catholic Education Week 2013 in ways that are appropriate to
our students’ age. There are five sub-themes for each day of
Catholic Education Week:
Monday – Faith that is Rooted
Tuesday – Faith that is Nurtured
Wednesday – Faith that is Discerned
Thursday – Faith that is Witnessed
Friday – Faith that is Celebrated
We hope to see you during our school events.
Hats Off to Kidz
On Friday, May 10 the school will participate in the “Hats Off
to Kidz” Walkathon for Sick Kids Hospital. Our school will
walk around the community in support of Leukemia Research
for the Sick Kids Foundation. Students and staff will be asked to
wear baseball caps and to dress in blue and white, as a tribute
to children who live with leukemia and the effects of chemotherapy. Students are invited to bring money the morning of
the event to donate to Sick Kids. Thank you for your support!
ECO Club News
Now that the Spring weather is here the ECO team is promoting Walk
to School Wednesdays. Everyday is a great opportunity to get more
exercise and to walk to school, but on Wednesdays we will be tracking
the number of students that walked to school. We hope to see the
numbers increase from week to week as participation in this initiative
grows. We will keep you posted on how we are doing, along with all
the new ideas and projects the club will be investigating.
Personal Treasures
A “personal treasure” is any item, regardless of its monetary value, that
holds a personal significance to a person. This might include jewelry,
cards, stuffed animals. Parents are asked to reinforce with their children
that these items are NOT to be brought to school. All electronic devices and personal electronic devices (ipods, cell phones, cameras, etc.)
are not allowed at school, or any school sanctioned event, as per board
policy.
Reporting Head Injuries
Even when it may appear to be insignificant, we inform parents of all
reported head injuries at school. We do this in recognition of the potential danger of any injury involving the head area. Our intent is not to
alarm you, but to keep you informed. Please remind your child to let a
staff member know if they bump their head of if they get hurt at school.
Student safety is of outmost importance to us at St. Jerome!
Kiss ‘N Ride
PLEASE NOTE THAT CARS ARE NOT TO USE
THE BUS LANE AT ANY TIME. Parents are also
asked to use our proper Kiss ‘N Ride lanes and not
to pull into the school lanes.
Parents please do not leave your car unattended in
any of the Kiss ‘N Ride lanes at any point in the
school day, most especially at lunch time. If you
are dropping off a lunch for your child please park
your car in a designated parking spot or on the
street. Please note that if you are using the Kiss ‘N
Ride you should not be getting out of your car to
help a child exit, you should not pop open your
truck to retrieve knapsacks, and all students must
exit from the right passenger side of the car for
their safety. Please drive safely and take your time.
Our focus is always to keep all of our students safe.
School Yard Safety
Just a reminder that student supervision begins at
9:00; students must not be dropped off at the
school before this time. Please also note that the
Kindergarten gates must be kept closed at all
times!
Are You Moving?
If you are planning a move, or have already moved, please let the office
know. You are required to complete new assessment forms even if you
move within our school boundaries. If you are moving to a new school
we will give you a Transfer Form to take with you to the new school. If
you are moving, but would like your child to remain at St. Jerome,
please submit your request in writing.
Student Information
Please remember to update the office with any new information
regarding your child. The office needs to be advised of any changes to
telephone numbers, emergency contacts or address so that we have all
the correct information for your child in case of an emergency.
Welcome to Kindergarten
On April 16, Mrs. Vermeiren, Mrs. Sisti, Ms. Neiva and Ms. Aquino
hosted our annual Welcome to Kindergarten evening. The new JK
students and their parents had the opportunity to experience a very
informative evening. It was a wonderful opportunity for us to welcome
our future students and give their parents some important information
about starting school. Learning kits provided by “The Learning
Partnership” were distributed to all those present. The children
participated in many hands-on literacy, numeracy and fine motor
activities. The kits include items that will help the children prepare for
school in September. We were fortunate to have our trustee, Bruno
Iannicca, join us to meet and welcome our new families to the St.
Jerome School community. We look forward to seeing the new
students in September!
Criminal Reference Check
In compliance with Ministry directives, a Criminal Reference
Check is required if you wish to volunteer your services in the
school, transport students and assist on trips. Copies of the
Criminal Reference forms are available in the office. An annual
declaration is required for all valid Criminal Reference Checks
that are on file in the school office. A Criminal Reference Check
will be required this year if you plan to volunteer for both in
school and out of school activities.
Website
Parents are encouraged to visit our website! The school site is
www.dpcdsb.org/jerom. Please take the time to check it out.
All school information and parent information is on the site and
updated regularly. All previous and current newsletters are on
the site. Our web-site is another excellent tool to keep parents
connected to what is happening at school.
Leaving At Lunchtime
Parents please be advised that ALL students must have written
permission from a parent/guardian to leave the school at lunch. Verbal
permission (over the phone) will not be accepted. A signed and dated
note with a parent/guardian signature is required for each occurrence.
The note must come to the office and students are required to sign out
and to sign back in when they return for afternoon classes.
EQAO
The EQAO (Education Quality and Accountability Office) testing
of our grade 3 students will take place on May 27, 29, and 30.
Testing of our grade 6 students will take place on June 3, 4, and
5. Please try to avoid scheduling any doctor’s appointments or
anything else that will take your child out of school during the
testing dates. A letter to grade 3 and 6 parents with further
information will be sent home closer to the testing dates.
Safe Schools
St. Jerome is committed to providing a safe, caring and inclusive school.
We continue to encourage positive interactions and a community that
welcomes and values healthy relationships, high academic standards,
respect, gospel values and virtuous living. Together students, parents
and teachers continue to learn how to protect the community from a
variety of forms of bullying while building student self-esteem and
awareness. We continue to encourage positive and healthy peer-topeer relationships. Youth Education Officers work in partnership with
the Dufferin Peel Catholic District School Board to create a positive
and safe learning environment within the elementary school system.
CATHOLIC
SCHOOL
COUNCIL
CATHOLIC SCHOOL
COUNCIL
Our next council meeting will be Wednesday, , 2013 at 6:30
Catholic School Council Meeting
p.m. All are welcome to attend.
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next Catholic
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meetingand
willgenerosity
be held on
We thank
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continued
in
Wednesday,
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1, 2013
at 6:30
p.m. experiences
All are welcome
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helping to make
students’
learning
the best
attend.
We
that they
canthank
be! our very hard working council members for
their on-going work and support for our children!
Dress Code
As we prepare for the warmer weather, we would like to
remind our students of the expectations that are in place,
Student Immunization
especially our older students, regarding appropriate dress.
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Short shorts and skirts and clothing of a suggestive nature or
asking all parents to ensure that you have informed the school of
displaying offensive wording/images are not allowed. In
any changes or updates to your child’s immunization records or
keeping
with the Board’s Mission Statement and Catholic
changes to your current address and contact information. A
teachings,
each school
committed
standards
of neatness,
series
of letters
will be is
mailed
out to to
parents
starting
on January
cleanliness,
modesty
and good
taste.
31st
for those
outstanding
immunization
records. If not updated
by a third letter, schools will follow up with a mandatory 20 day
suspension for the student until their immunization records have
been updated. Please ensure that you have met all the
requirements for your child’s immunization records and ensure
that the school receives the appropriate documentation for these
records. Below is the list of dates in which Peel Public Health will
be contacting parents/guardians of students with outstanding
immunization records.
January
letter package mailed to parents
Recess31st—First
Reminders
March
letterapackage
mailed to parents
We at6th—Second
St. Jerome have
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April 10th—Third
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(Suspension
to
in
any
activities
in
the
schoolyard
that
involve
physical
contact.
parents
Games such as tackle football, manhunt and like games are
May 1st—Suspension starts (in effect until requirements are met
not allowed. If a game develops during the course of a recess
or
20 days)
break
where contact becomes part of the game or activity,
students are reminded to remove themselves from that
activity and to report the contact to the nearest staff member
Extended
Vacations
on yard duty.
Staff can easily be identified by their bright
Now
that
the
orange vests. March Break is fast approaching, we encourage
families to plan holidays during these designated times. Some
parents have asked teachers to put together homework packages
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Dates to Remember
Mark your Calendar
May 1
School Council Meeting 6:30 p.m.
May 3
Crowning of Mary 1:30 p.m.
May 6 to 8
Grade 8 trip to Camp Muskoka
May 13
PA Day—No School
May 14
Jump Rope/Hoops for Heart
May 20
Victoria Day—No School
May 27, 29, 30
EQAO Grade 3
May 31
School BBQ
June 3, 4, 5
EQAO Grade 6
June 7
PA Day- No School
June 12
Year End Mass 1:30 p.m.
June 26
Grade 8 Graduation
June 28
Last Day of School
PA Days:
May 13, June 7
St. Jerome’s Annual BBQ
Planning is well under way for our annual BBQ on Friday, May
31st. The annual BBQ raises significant funds which the school
council allocates for various items and activities that add to your
children’s educational experience at St. Jerome. Please support
the BBQ with items such as gift certificates, tickets for events,
new electronics, housewares, tools, toys and sporting goods or
Canadian Tire money. We are seeking parent volunteers, if you
would like to help out in any way, please call the school. Please
forward all donations to the school. Thank you for your anticipated support! We look forward to seeing you at the BBQ!
Please check your child’s knapsack for food ordering information.
Important Safety Tips
Parents and guardians are encouraged to regularly review the following important safety tips with your child(ren).

The importance of not talking to strangers

Go directly home from school or directly to the babysitter’s
after school

Use filtering software to protect your child from potentially
harmful sites and programs


Walk to and from school with a buddy. Avoid being alone if you
can
Have computers in common rooms where they can be easily
supervised


Let your parents/babysitter know the route you take to and
from school
Limit the amount of time that your child spends online


Your child should not be communicating in online chat
rooms
Talk to your parents about a plan on where to get help, if necessary, when going to and from school

When approached by a stranger, walk or run to a place of safety
such as home or back to school

Play a “what if” game with your parents to come up with ideas
of what you would do if, for some reason, you are afraid on the
way to and from school

Cross the street at a stop sign or with street lights

Do not cross between parked cars/buses

Pictures should not be taken and/or received online

Inform your child about the negative effects an online profile
(like a Facebook profile) can have on their file
For more information regarding Internet Safety, visit one of the
following websites: www.kidsinthe know.ca, www.cybertip.ca,
www.mediaawarness.ca, www.nsteens.org, www.peelpolice.on.ca,
www.opp.ca